Playdates and Permission Slips
Chapter Six: Final Frame
After nearly two agonizing hours of near fisticuffs amongst the children, between Logan and Scott, and wire tension between Ororo and Jean from the above stress and the terribly one sided bowling “game” (after the first half hour there wasn’t much fun involved). Ororo nearly stood up and did a cartwheel roundhouse combo when she heard one of the children yawn. At this point she really didn’t care who it was.
“Look at that,” she said with a fake tiredness of her own, “someone is getting tired.”
“Nooo common,” Logan cried, “we got ‘bout half a game left. It ain’t gonna kill nobody to stay for the rest.” He looked at the taller woman with pleading eyes and what could be mistaken for a pouted bottom lip. Ororo rolled her eyes and looked at the children, who, much to Ororo’s chagrin, were finally not at each other’s throats.
Figures.
At least karma took some kind of pity on her. She had just gone, and everyone else would have to cycle through before she was subjected to more torture.
She took an exasperated plop on the seats facing the ally where all the left over food and drinks were stashed. She had a good view of everyone’s antics and realized that her purse with Lucas’s Nintendo DS was in it. With everyone having their own great time she could disappear behind them and the game screen for just a bit.
Just as she dug it out, a soda was placed in front of her and a friendly face was behind it.
“You ok, Ro,” Scott asked.
“Dandy, why do you ask?”
“I don’t know. You kind of look like your miserable because someone set your lawn on fire and the only available resource to put it out was stale urine.”
She snorted out the Coke she had, burning her throat and nose in the process. He always could do that to her. She never understood why Scott was constantly described as uptight. Those who said that about him didn’t know him very well.
Ororo frowned. The person who said that the most was…Jean.
She patted the half-swivel chair next to her, and Scott thankfully sat down in it. He took the other drinks he had and placed them on the table, stretched out his legs and slouched comfortably in his chair.
Ororo laughed.
“Scott, I’m surprised you’re even here. I mean don’t you get tied up with Xavier’s campaign litigation.”
“True true. I am going to be overloaded this week.” He shook his head. “Looks like I’m finally going to have to cave in and hire paralegals and assistants.”
“Oh no,” Ororo exclaimed in mock horror, “a staff! And your their boss!”
“Hey, don’t make fun now. This is the first time I’d be in charge of others.”
“Scott,” Ororo said placing her hand on his solid bicep and feeling him shift comfortably in it, “ you’d make a great leader. You know, that kind of iconic character that goes down in history. Heck, I wouldn’t be surprised that once Xavier became Senator, he would bring you along for his bid to the White House. If that’s going to happen, then you need to learn how to control your own staff.”
Scott hmphed. “Are you kidding me? I’m a laughing stock in my own home.” He looked at Jean laughing at something Logan said forlornly. Ororo followed his gaze and caught something she hadn’t expected. Jean was desperately trying to keep Logan’s attention by laughing loudly at his mediocre jokes and curving her body subtly and seductively. Ororo shook her head and felt a pair of wild eyes on her and realized why Jean was trying so hard.
Logan had no apparent interest in Jean because his eyes where fixed on Ororo and her seemingly out of place closeness with Scott. Logan was tempted to chuck his sixteen pound ball straight at his head.
Hell, the Summers’ weren’t even supposed to be here. Go away, he thought angrily at Scott and Jean.
Seeing that wasn’t getting anywhere, Jean decided on a less subtle approach to getting her way. She did a quick cursory glance around the bowling alley. The kids had started to play Dance Dance Revolution in the arcade, Scott was talking Ororo about work. Jeeze, she tuned out when she heard litigation, campaign (again! Grrrr), paralegals, assistants. Wait, assistants? Jean raised an eye about that. Sure, she tuned Scott out a lot, ok constantly, but she never remembered hearing anything about that. Oh well, she shrugged it off, and figured that Ororo would be nice enough to pretend that she cared about Scott’s job. Meanwhile she could get a little in the bathroom, or more likely tonight when Scott made an appearance at Warren’s business dinner meeting.
“Logan,” Jean purred, when she sat down sliding her tightly jean clad thigh against his, “I’ll be alone tonight, and after all this food the kids will get tired early. Care to swing by.”
“Sorry, Jeannie. Today is Saturday; it’s movie night with Laura,” Logan said casually still peeking around her and watching Ororo speak with that shiny, moist, plump, mouth of hers. If only she would stop talking to Blah Man, and come to him and say something, anything. Dammit all!
Jean scrunched up her face. She wasn’t used to hearing no, especially from this man. What’s going on today?
“Well, she does have to sleep sooner or later,” she said as a matter of fact.
Logan furrowed his brow in a quick flash of anger. There was no way in hell he’d leave his daughter alone for a quick fuck.
From the way he looked at her, Jean immediately knew that she had crossed his invisible thick line. Laura always came first.
She bit her lip and looked away, feeling as sorry as she looked. Logan didn’t care, but he was going to cut her some slack. He was just a nice guy like that.
“Besides, you know that Sunday is the biggest day of the week in the shop. People have off on Sundays, and they take their cars to get done. I like being their on Sundays to meet my customers. So I got an early morning, and afterwards is Chuck E. Cheese. Laura ain‘t gonna have the time to hang out there much once the soccer season starts, so I‘m letting‘ her have one last hu-rah there.” Just as he was about to take his turn, his cell phone gave a short quick ring signaling a text message. He saw Jean turn away politely, but knew that her curiosity was killing her. He got up and went over by the vending machines to look at his text hoping it wasn’t someone else to ruin his fun time with Laura or Ororo and Lucas.
Raven’s number was on his display screen for receiving a text. Oh shit.
He carefully opened his phone, silently hoping the phone company made a mistake.
Raven: Anna is out buying cleats with Kitty and Illyana. Gave her more money to be at the mall longer with them. Irene isn’t going to be home till dinner. Door is open.
Logan responded: Busy tonight. Busy tommrow. Maybe Monday. Feed your Rabbit.
He clicked his phone shut and slammed it down on the table. Enough is enough. Did these women think he was indestructible or something! Good Lord.
Scott watched Jean look at Logan the same he found himself looking at her. He was tired of that. He missed the old days, long before he met Jean. Ororo turned to him and smiled gently almost like she could sense his nogistalia. Scott leaned his knee on hers under the table, and it reminded them both of their brief stint in the same foster care home when they first met when they were tweens.
Ororo had been on her own after the sudden deaths of her parents at their re-entry to the States, and Scott had been transferred to this house after the abuse from Jack surfaced. Charles and Lilliandra took them both in, and Scott never looked back.
“Oh, that reminds me,” Scott said, “I need some alterations on some suits, but Lilly wanted to know if you could custom make Charles some suits too. I wasn’t sure if tailoring was your thing, so I told her you’d think about it.”
“Of course,” Ororo said. Anything for her former brother.
Jean watched Logan stomp off to the bathroom, and glanced up at her husband still talking. As she began to pack her things she saw that Logan left his cell phone on the table.
She knew she shouldn’t as she walked towards it. It was his private property, she told herself as she flipped open the phone. She looked at the last activity on it and bared her teeth.
RAVEN! Ewww. Jean knew deep down that he was seeing others, but she ignored it. When Logan told her that she was the only one, dammit, he was suppose to mean it. Just like she would tell him how much he meant to her, then finish up with the sex, take a quick shower, and go home to Scott. Duh, that was the way it worked.
She just smiled to herself. If she knew Logan, he was just fucking Raven because he was one of those men who’s ultimate fantasies involved bisexual women. Jean knew that she was still HBIC (Head Bitch In Charge) when it came to Logan. And she needed that other woman gone. Good thing there wasn’t any more. Or else!
Once Logan unloaded in the john, he came out to find the kids dragging their feet to pack up their own things to go. He really wanted to just go home order some food and curl up with a great action flick with Laura, the one female person who wanted nothing from him but smiles.
He looked out at Jean who was trying to get Nate and Rachel to put their shoes back on, and Lucas who was already to go. Laura was talking to Ororo about her dollie and beaming. Scott was watching laughing at Ororo’s sarcasm when it came to Barbie’s new fashion. He noticed the body language at cocked his head to the side. An untrained eye would think there was a physical attraction there, but no. It was something else.
When Jean came back she just about threw the coats and toys at Scott and announced that they were leaving. Ororo hugged her and mentioned that she had to call for a ride to leave, as well. Logan knew that this was his chance.
“Hey Ro, I can give you a ride.”
“Um…I guess so. Lucas, is that alright?” Her son shrugged nonchalantly. “Ok, then.”
Logan smiled, until he looked down and saw a very grumpy and unhappy Laura.
“Whatsa matter, baby?”
“Tonight was Star Wars night, Daddy. All the good ones, too. You promised.”
“Sweetie you’re gonna be up real lat, and your gonna be tired for your surprise tomorrow.”
“But you promised. You said that we hadn’t ever seen all the old ones together, so we should, *tonight*.”
Logan sighed. Damn damn damn. Foiled again.
While the crew waited in line to turn their shoes in, Jean overheard everything and couldn’t keep the Grinch-who-stole-Christmas-smile off her face. Scott shook his head, and shifted Rachel on his shoulders in a more comfortable position.
“What?”
“Jesus Christ, Jean.” He leaned in and whispered, “I’m not a fucking idiot.”
“Oh for crying out loud, Scott! What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“We’ll see in a minute.” He heard the talk about Star Wars from Laura, and knew it would be mere seconds before Ororo went into geek-mode.
3
2
1
“ Oh. My. God! I love Star Wars!”
“Nu uh,” Laura said with an attitude of a superior nerd.
“Laura!” Logan was shocked at his daughter’s lack of respect. But then again, she did get a little touchy when it came to wookies and her all time, number one, favorite idol, Princess Leia.
“Alrighty then, Ms. Monroe. Prove it.”
“My favorite character is Leia. My favorite part is when she rescued Hans from Jaba in the guise of a bounty hunter, but I really wish they’d film the alternate version of Hoth.”
Laura gave Ororo one of her trademark but rare smiles. Then furrowed her brow. “Huh? Hoth…that’s the swamp like place where Yoda is, right.”
“Yulp. Did you know that Leia was supposed to go instead of Luke?”
“Wait wait. That means…LEIA WOULD HAVE BEEN A JEDI!!!!”
“I know I know. How cool would that have been?”
Lucas finally perked up from his DS. “Yea, it’s true. Leia would have been a better Jedi than Luke.”
Logan choked on air. “Blasphemy, all of you. Besides, no one is cooler than Han and Lando.”
Ororo gaped at him. “If it weren’t for Leia, Han wouldn’t have survived in New Hope.”
“Yeah, Daddy,” Laura said with her hands on her hips.
Logan rolled his eyes.
“Hey, I have an idea. Can Ms. Monroe come over for movie night?”
Logan looked right at the smiling Ms. Monroe and asked, “what about Lucas?”
“Lucas can come too. He knows how awesome Leia is, so he’s invited.”
Both adults laughed, and Lucas was off in la-la land.
Logan looked at Ororo and asked, “so, how about it?”
Ororo sighed. “Oh alright fine. But, tomorrow I have to get Lucas packed and ready long before his Father comes.”
Logan put his hands up in surrender. “Ok ok, I hear ya, Darlin.”
Jean shifted uncomfortably in line. How could he do that? Didn’t Logan see her standing *directly in front of him*? Hello? He couldn’t be that empty-headed, could he? She wanted to go home. Hell, she didn’t want to be there in the first damn place. How many people had bowling shoes to turn in that it would be taking so bloody long?
Scott wanted to laugh at his wife’s discomfort. He really did. In fact, his jaw hurt badly from clenching it shut so tightly that he couldn’t laugh.
Jean glared at the laughing group behind her when she turned to her husband. “Can you take the kids to their after school music lessons on Monday, please? I forgot about it and made an appointment at five.”
“Really, Jean? What for? Doctor’s, hair, nails…something else?”
“Please Scott. It’s not like I’m asking you to your doom.”
“Fine. Where is it?”
“Right at the school, it shouldn’t be too difficult for you, unlike some other things.”
Scott threw his head back and laughed. “And you think I’m using double entendres. What was that?”
“Oh nothing Scott. I just had a flashback of the last five months and you having a rather hard time with a few things. Oh wait. Hmm. Hard is the wrong word to use for that, isn’t it?”
“Smooth, Jean. Real smooth.”
Jean sighed. It seemed like she just couldn’t help herself. “Can you take them, or not?”
“Yes, Jean.”
Ororo looked at the bickering couple just as they walked up to hand in their shoes. She took a mental note of Scott’s ramrod straightened back and his firm profile. He was really upset, and Jean seemed nonplussed about it. What was going on? Oh wait, it wasn’t her business. But her former brother’s unhappiness bothered her, as did her best friend’s nonchalant attitude. Speaking of, Ororo wondered if Scott ever told Jean about his time in foster care, the abuse, or if the fact that when Jean brought her best friend along on a date ten years ago, that it wasn’t the first time Ororo had been introduced to Scott.
Secrets like that were never good.
“Ya ready, darlin’?”
Ororo looked up and realized that it was finally their turn to give their shoes back, and she did, gladly. When they walked outside, they saw the Summers’ piling into their Mercedes when Jean caught Ororo’s eye.
“Where are you going, hun” she asked lightly with concern, which was only lightly covering up the curiosity and the I-know-you’re-not-going-where-I-think-you’re-going attitude.
Ororo blinked. Sure Jean was noisy, but this was a little much. “Lucas and I were driven here, but Logan offered a ride back for us.” Something told Ororo not to get into detail.
“Aw, Ro’. We can give you a ride, so this way Logan doesn’t have to drive out of his way,” Jean said sweetly. Too sweetly and with a condescending tone.
Needless to say, that pissed of just about everybody.
Nate and Rachel realized that two extra people were going to have to sit in the back, and there wasn’t enough room as it was when they fought in the back seat.
Scott looked at her like she had plum lost her damn mind. There was no doubt in his mind that there was something wrong.
Ororo didn’t like being manipulated by Jean into doing something that the red-head wanted that always involved small spaces. Nor did she like the dig at Logan.
Logan was furious. If he had been smoking, which he, ironically enough, gave up for Jean and a few others, would have set her on fire with his cigar. Ever time she could, she would always make a burn at him not being able to cut it in the hierarchy of the upper-class. He liked to remind her about that when she would take the subway for twenty minutes to get to his apartment few a few good groans. She would always giggle when he mentioned going to her house.
He carefully inhaled. Slow down, Bub. Take your time. Don’t fuck this up. It’s just Star Wars. He pulled his red 03 Ford Escort up to the entrance and waited for Ororo to get the kids in and seatbelt them before strapping herself in. He watched her long fingers adorned with real nails wrap themselves around the nylon of her own seatbelt as she fidgeted with it. Then she worked on the seat, maneuvering it so that it would fit her height. She looked in the back of her seat to make sure that she wouldn’t be in Laura’s way.
“Sorry about that,” she said sheepishly.
“Nah, it’s alright. I forgot that you were so tall.” Actually, he said to himself, that’s all that he could think about. 41-43 inches of legs. He hit the brakes hard before he could roll into a busy intersection. “Opps.”
Eleven blocks and ten lights later, Ororo watched as Logan pulled up to an 19th century former luxury hotel, right in the middle of Brooklyn. The lobby hadn’t changed over time, it still had that over spent feel French feel to it. But it was obvious that the rest of the building had been recently resided and newly refinished. Ororo did a double take when Logan strolled right in and held the door for her. That wasn’t what she was surprised about.
This wasn’t her first trip here.
She held Lucas’s hand as they walked through the lobby and back towards the elevators, and she was finally glad he wasn’t paying attention to anything. Of course that’s when he finally looked up at his *new* surroundings.
“Hey, Mom? Isn’t this…”
She squeezed his hand and held her index finger up to her lips when Logan turned to look back at them both.
The elevator ride to the tenth floor was quick and smooth, Ororo noted. Back in the day, it used to be a rickety cargo elevator that occasionally had to be hand cranked. She wondered where the building managers got the money to have everything redone.
When they stopped at the floor they headed down to apartment 1025. Ororo couldn’t believe her eyes. She felt Lucas squeeze her hand too. He smiled at his mother in their shared secret.
Logan pushed the door inside and peeked in. Yup, everything was just as messy as when they left this morning. Great. Just great.
He pulled the door shut and turned to his guest. “Wait here for just a second,” he said quietly. He burst open the door quickly and yanked Laura inside.
“Daaaaad! What was that for?”
“Look at this place. It’s a mess.”
“What are ya talkin’, Dadu? It looks the same.” Logan rolled his eyes.
“I will give you five dollars clean up. I want to see floor space in every room. That means dirty clothes off floors, dirty dishes in the dishwasher, and toys away.”
“Where do you want them?”
“Just away.”
Laura smiled. Logan didn’t like that and was scared. Before he could ask, the little girl had picked up dirty clothes and stuffed them in drawers, closets, cabinets, wherever they shouldn’t be. Then he heard her attack the dishes. Literally throwing glass and other fragile dishes in the dishwasher, and breaking each one.
“DONE!”
Logan’s mouth quivered.
“Oh, and I found the DVD’s too.”
“Thanks, hun.” Logan answered the door and tried to not look flustered. “Ok, now you can come in.”
Ororo smiled shyly as he took her coat and her son’s. Laura had already inserted Episode IV. As the trailers were running, Laura and Lucas had made themselves comfortable in the two bean bag chairs and grabbed pillows that they promised they wouldn’t put to violent use.
Logan had taken out two cold beers and manage to find non-crude coasters to put them on as well. He was very proud of himself.
Ororo was impressed. This was the first time that she had beer in ages. She was always stuck with wines, chardonnays, and friggin’ Zimas. This beer was the good kind too, produced in Philadelphia called Yuengling. The hops tickled her throat and warmed her tummy.
Wait wait…that wasn’t the hops doing that. That was the thick arm that had magically wrapped it’s way around her, with most of it’s weight on the couch. Ororo raised a skeptical brow at Logan, and he smiled in a boyish way. She turned back to the movie and tried really hard to listen to Luke complain about life on a moisture farm, but it was difficult as she noticed that she kept sliding towards Logan.
It was the indentation in the couch and gravity doing that. Yup. Totally.
It was just then hunger decided to make it’s self known.
“Damn, of course I got guests, and not a damn thing to eat. How’s about we order out? Chinese sound good?”
Laura asked for chow mein. Lucas got the fried dumplings. Ororo went with prawns and rice. Logan gawfed at their girly dishes and went with Kung Pao chicken. Once the food and side dishes were delivered, and handed out ceremoniously, people went back to their respective spots with a promise not to drip anything.
Before the movie started again, Ororo excused herself to the restroom. After washing her hands, she opened the lower cabinet door to see if the mark she and Lucas left there was still there. Sure enough, in very crude carved writing was, “Ro and Luc were here 04.” She couldn’t help laughing. The irony was just too much.
Ororo sat back down next to Logan scarfing down the very last piece of chicken. She looked at him, and couldn’t stop the smile creeping on her face or the giggles that bubbled out afterwards.
Logan took one look at her in his never clean-enough house and was immediately feeling the way he’s often felt when he’s around so many women out of his class. Not quiet good enough.
She put a soft hand on his tense bicep and squeezed to get his complete attention. Ororo paused the movie right at the scene where Han, Leia and Chewbacca were going to get smooshed by the Imperial trash compactor. That caught the children’s attention, as well.
“Does everyone want to see something kind of neat,” she asked.
Laura scrunched up her face when she thought about it. “Is it better than kicking Imperial behind?”
Lucas laughed and nearly chocked on his last dumpling.
“To the bathroom,” Ororo said in her best Super Friends announcer voice. All four people followed her down the hall into the bathroom where she pulled open the bottom cabinet drawer. Logan crouched down to where she had pointed, and that’s where he saw it.
“I don’t get it.”
“Logan, this is where Lucas and I lived when I left my family and right before I open my first store.”
Laura and Logan both turned to each other with questions. Logan shrugged at his daughter. Who knew!
Lucas ran out of the bathroom and into the kitchen. Next to the refrigerator were short horizontal lines going up that indicated growth. Lucas recognized his mother’s handwriting indicating the date and how tall he was at the time. Next to his was a new pattern.
“Mom! Look!”
Ororo clamored out of the bathroom and found what her son was talking about. Logan grinned when he saw them comparing the growth charts. He was curious as he watched them looking at all of their old marks. Why would someone who obviously came from money live own their own with nothing?
Ororo looked down at her watch and frowned. “Baby, we have to go. I don’t need you dragging your feet tomorrow.”
“Do we have to?”
She put her arm around him and guided him to the closet that held his coat.
“Thank you for having us. It was fun.”
Laura gave Ororo the rest of her dish in the container and piped up, “you gotta come back. We haven’t finished the first movie, and there’s two more.”
Logan smiled. “We have to let’em go. They’ve got stuff they gotta do.”
“But…”
“Mom, can we come back? Please????”
Ororo looked around and she found three pairs of big watery puppy dog eyes pleading with her. She didn’t stand a chance.
“After you come back from your father’s. And only if you behave this week at school.”
Lucas scratched his nose. He forgot about school. Apparently so did Laura.
“Hey, Ro? Are ya’ll to doin’ anything tomorrow afternoon. I got a surprise planned. Call me, okay?”
She didn’t give him an answer and he watched from his window as she hailed a cab.
Laura watched her father watching Ms. Monroe and snorted.
“What?”
“You like her.”
“Do not!”
“Why are you lyin’?”
“Go to bed.”
“Booooo.”
Logan blew raspberries at her, and pointed to her bedroom. He tucked her in and turned out her light.
Aw shit, he thought. Was he really that transparent? If Laura knew and picked up so easily, what about Emma, Sue, Raven, Betsy, or worse…Jean?
Ororo Monroe was trouble with the longest legs ever.
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